Four days ago Emerge Global was featured on the front page of ColomboPage, a Sri Lankan internet newspaper. With the title “A beaded necklace can transform the life of a troubled teen in Sri Lanka,” the article is a beautifuly written tribute to the work that Emerge Global is doing in Sri Lanka. I met the author, Chandrani, when I was back in the United States in August of 2008 and when I found out she would be visiting Sri Lanka, along with her family, I was excited to meet up with them again.
Apparently my love of Sri Lankan cuisine, and the process of eating it with my hands, left a lasting impression. One of the most enjoyable things about living in Sri Lanka has been learning about and immersing myself in the local culture. The point of traveling is to learn and try something new, so trying to eat with my hands always made sense. I have to say I still don’t have the technique mastered, and eating string hoppers with your hands is much easier than rice and curry. Regardless, I’m glad that my attempts at cultural acclimation were noticed. Ironically enough, the same day this article was published a matron and nurse at Ma Sevana teased me (in Sinhala, so Nirukshi had to translate) about my inability to eat with my hands correctly. After that, this article was a nice confidence-builder.
I encourage you all to read the article, forward it to a friend, and check out ColomboPage.com for more articles about Sri Lanka.
Until next time, Ellen